handsome."
"Laurel, my love!" He enveloped me in a hug. I held my purse tight to my body, then checked my pockets when we broke free.
"Ah, your actions wound me," he said.
That's when I noticed my missing phone. He and a partner used to regularly run a scam at places like Buckingham Palace, where Gerry dressed as a London bobby and his compatriot was a pickpocket. Gerry would drift through the crowd in a 'public service persona' warning people to keep their valuables safe, as he explained pickpockets were common in the area and sure to be mere meters away. Which, of course, caused every tourist to pat pockets holding wallets, cameras, or other valuables, and allowed Gerry's partner to collect the booty with minimal effort.
Lucky for me, Gerry wasn't the pickpocket because he stank at the craft. I held out my hand. "You think that wounds you, I'll do far worse if you don't hand over my phone."
"Just a joke."
"I'll believe it this time, but don't push me, Gerry." I pulled the card with the bug from my jacket pocket and used my fingers to hide it from public view. "But you can redeem yourself. Someone is using this to track me."
"A stalker?"
I frowned. "Not sure yet, actually. Could use your help maybe to find out, though."
"Anything, love."
Closing my fingers lightly, I found the bug fit perfectly in a loose fist. "I'm going to walk away, and I need you to see if you can spot the guy following me. He's about your height, and has a Cary Grant-Clark Gable look about him. At least he did the last time I saw him. Dark wool jacket."
"Old Hollywood?" Gerry waggled his eyebrows.
"Good point. Probably a disguise. Anyway, I'm going to wave goodbye and walk away. I need you to go in the opposite direction and see if anyone matching his description takes off after me. He'll stay back a bit, probably using his phone to follow the signal."
"Gotcher. Same number as of old?"
"Yes. Text me if you notice anything I need to know right away."
His eyes drifted, and I knew he'd spotted a mark, so wasn't surprised when he took a step back, waved, and said, "Good seeing you, love. Talk to you soon."
Luckily, he headed in the way I wanted him to go.
Two kids splashing in the fountain created a believable diversion. I had a brief word with their mother, then smiled and hurried off to tag behind a horde of nearly a dozen students moving toward the Tube.
"Are all of you on holiday?" I asked one of the teens, as I slipped the bug into her knapsack.
"Trekking across Europe for gap year," the tallest guy said, a redhead who reminded me of Prince Harry. "Got a friend getting us into a West End play tonight, so just hitting tourist sites in the meantime."
"Dude, we need to speed it up," a blond guy in front called out. "We gotta hit the subway before the day's prices go up."
"Oh, you do," I agreed, and pushed my way through to the front. Rush hour prices on the Tube were quite the gotcha for the unaware. "Come on and I'll show you a shortcut to Victoria Station."
My phone buzzed with a message, and I looked to see that Gerry sent a picture of Jack. I sent a Thx m8 reply as I walked and kept up a fast pace as I darted through alleys, leading the team through bustling lanes. Just in case Jack realized where we were going, and the group hadn't shielded me completely from sight, I nipped inside with them, using an excuse to help them find the right platform. They moved through the gate, and I slid into a shadowed corner to watch. It would have been faster to grab a ride there and hop off at South Kensington, but I didn't want to run any new risk of getting trapped in a subway car with Jack. Especially since I spotted him moments later as he made his way through the same turnstile the group just used.
I returned to the surface as soon as I could safely manage and called Gerry. "Thanks so much." I lengthened my stride toward Sloane Square, heading for the Victoria and Albert Museum. The V and A was a perfect place for me to hide until dark. I
"Laurel, my love!" He enveloped me in a hug. I held my purse tight to my body, then checked my pockets when we broke free.
"Ah, your actions wound me," he said.
That's when I noticed my missing phone. He and a partner used to regularly run a scam at places like Buckingham Palace, where Gerry dressed as a London bobby and his compatriot was a pickpocket. Gerry would drift through the crowd in a 'public service persona' warning people to keep their valuables safe, as he explained pickpockets were common in the area and sure to be mere meters away. Which, of course, caused every tourist to pat pockets holding wallets, cameras, or other valuables, and allowed Gerry's partner to collect the booty with minimal effort.
Lucky for me, Gerry wasn't the pickpocket because he stank at the craft. I held out my hand. "You think that wounds you, I'll do far worse if you don't hand over my phone."
"Just a joke."
"I'll believe it this time, but don't push me, Gerry." I pulled the card with the bug from my jacket pocket and used my fingers to hide it from public view. "But you can redeem yourself. Someone is using this to track me."
"A stalker?"
I frowned. "Not sure yet, actually. Could use your help maybe to find out, though."
"Anything, love."
Closing my fingers lightly, I found the bug fit perfectly in a loose fist. "I'm going to walk away, and I need you to see if you can spot the guy following me. He's about your height, and has a Cary Grant-Clark Gable look about him. At least he did the last time I saw him. Dark wool jacket."
"Old Hollywood?" Gerry waggled his eyebrows.
"Good point. Probably a disguise. Anyway, I'm going to wave goodbye and walk away. I need you to go in the opposite direction and see if anyone matching his description takes off after me. He'll stay back a bit, probably using his phone to follow the signal."
"Gotcher. Same number as of old?"
"Yes. Text me if you notice anything I need to know right away."
His eyes drifted, and I knew he'd spotted a mark, so wasn't surprised when he took a step back, waved, and said, "Good seeing you, love. Talk to you soon."
Luckily, he headed in the way I wanted him to go.
Two kids splashing in the fountain created a believable diversion. I had a brief word with their mother, then smiled and hurried off to tag behind a horde of nearly a dozen students moving toward the Tube.
"Are all of you on holiday?" I asked one of the teens, as I slipped the bug into her knapsack.
"Trekking across Europe for gap year," the tallest guy said, a redhead who reminded me of Prince Harry. "Got a friend getting us into a West End play tonight, so just hitting tourist sites in the meantime."
"Dude, we need to speed it up," a blond guy in front called out. "We gotta hit the subway before the day's prices go up."
"Oh, you do," I agreed, and pushed my way through to the front. Rush hour prices on the Tube were quite the gotcha for the unaware. "Come on and I'll show you a shortcut to Victoria Station."
My phone buzzed with a message, and I looked to see that Gerry sent a picture of Jack. I sent a Thx m8 reply as I walked and kept up a fast pace as I darted through alleys, leading the team through bustling lanes. Just in case Jack realized where we were going, and the group hadn't shielded me completely from sight, I nipped inside with them, using an excuse to help them find the right platform. They moved through the gate, and I slid into a shadowed corner to watch. It would have been faster to grab a ride there and hop off at South Kensington, but I didn't want to run any new risk of getting trapped in a subway car with Jack. Especially since I spotted him moments later as he made his way through the same turnstile the group just used.
I returned to the surface as soon as I could safely manage and called Gerry. "Thanks so much." I lengthened my stride toward Sloane Square, heading for the Victoria and Albert Museum. The V and A was a perfect place for me to hide until dark. I